New School Year!
Last week the new school year started. We have been doing outreach events every day like crazy. This video is a short clip from an outreach barbque we had. The first two weeks of school are the most important time in meeting knew people, inviting people, and getting people plugged in.
On Thursday, we had our first Nexus (large group) gathering of the year. According to my count we had 179 people in attendance! The first short video clip is the group singing a worship song. The second clip has our emcees welcoming the group. (Notice in the second video clip, a girl bringing in more chairs to accommodate the masses). Three students came to faith that night. Praise God.
Things to Pray for....
- Pray for our leadership team to keep an inviting/welcoming mindset and spirit.
- Pray for the 3 students who came to faith last Thursday night.
- Pray for the 15 bible studies we are having on campus this year. (I am overseeing and leading our bible study leaders)
Upcoming Events
- I start two seminary classes 9/28
- My first Nexus sermon of the semester 10/8
- Trilogy conference 10/30-11/1
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Summer, BayUP '09
BayUP '09
This i
s what some of the students had to say....
Sarah - "Bayup was challenging and a place where my faith was able to deepen and grow. I was able to learn about living in community and living simply. I learned how God's justice is connected with living simply."
James - "Often we Christians think that justice is an added on bonus but I learned that justice is at the center of God's heart and is mandated for all Christians."
Some highlights from the trip....
- Eating oatmeal everyday for breakfast (Top Ramen on special days).
- Leading 100+ kids each day at Harbor House.
- I was able to do a training on the world's water crisis.
- We saved over $100 in extra food money and gave it away to help provide access to clean drinking water. (charitywater.org)
Story fr
om the trip...
When I did this trip in 2005 I worked with a 5th grader named Jerome (pictured to the left). He was by far the worst behaved kid (I secretly referred to him as "my nemesis"). Needless to say, he was more than a handful. When I returned this summer, I came back to a 9th grade Jerome. I was blessed to see how much he had grown up. His behavior was much better, he is becoming a role model for the elementary kids, and he is planning on being a high school intern next summer.
Seeing Jerome, and others like him, grow up over the last four years gave me a lot of joy and it gave evidence to the fact that God is at work in these kids, in Harbor House, in Oakland and the world.
This summer, Erin and I led a team of 9 students on a five week mission project to Oakland. We served at Harbor House, which is a non-profit ministry in East Oakland. We lived in intentional community with each other trying to simulate what it would be like to live in poverty. This means that we lived with 12 people with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, each person got $15 a week for food, we shared everything, and lived simply (no computers, TV’s, cell phones, etc.)
This i
s what some of the students had to say....
Sarah - "Bayup was challenging and a place where my faith was able to deepen and grow. I was able to learn about living in community and living simply. I learned how God's justice is connected with living simply."
James - "Often we Christians think that justice is an added on bonus but I learned that justice is at the center of God's heart and is mandated for all Christians."
Some highlights from the trip....
- Eating oatmeal everyday for breakfast (Top Ramen on special days).
- Leading 100+ kids each day at Harbor House.
- I was able to do a training on the world's water crisis.
- We saved over $100 in extra food money and gave it away to help provide access to clean drinking water. (charitywater.org)
Story fr
om the trip...
When I did this trip in 2005 I worked with a 5th grader named Jerome (pictured to the left). He was by far the worst behaved kid (I secretly referred to him as "my nemesis"). Needless to say, he was more than a handful. When I returned this summer, I came back to a 9th grade Jerome. I was blessed to see how much he had grown up. His behavior was much better, he is becoming a role model for the elementary kids, and he is planning on being a high school intern next summer.
Seeing Jerome, and others like him, grow up over the last four years gave me a lot of joy and it gave evidence to the fact that God is at work in these kids, in Harbor House, in Oakland and the world.
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